Multicultural Holidays

 

At-a-glance Multicultural Calendar 2024

Click on the month (under construction) to learn more about these religious observances and multicultural holidays, including the general practices, dates in future years, and more. 

  • January - Click here to learn more about these observances and holidays

  • 1: Feast Day of Saint Basil
    1: Gantan-sai  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities.
    1: Solemnity of Mary / Mary, Mother of God  
    6: Epiphany / Twelfth Night / Three Kings Day / Dia de los Reyes  
    7: Christmas / Feast of the Nativity  | Because this holiday does not fall within the winter break, Eastern Orthodox practitioners will likely request this day off.
    7: Nativity of Christ  
    7: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord  
    8: Bodhi Day  
    13: Lohri  
    14: Maghi / Makar Sankranti  
    17: Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti  
    17: Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib  
    18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
    20: Timkat  
    21: World Religion Day  
    24-25: Tu B'shvat  
    25: Mahayana New Year  
    25: Conversion of Saint Paul  

  • February

  • 1: Imbolc / Candlemas  
    2: Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple  
    3: Saint Blaze Day  
    3: Setsubum-sai  
    5: Saint Brighid of Kildare  
    8: Isra'a and Mi'raj  
    10: Lunar New Year / Chinese New Year / Tet / Spring Festival  | Avoid
    scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date.

    13: Shrove Tuesday / Fat Tuesday  
    14: Ash Wednesday  | Provide food accommodations (prohibitions include animal products).
    14: Saint Valentine's Day  
    15: Vasant Panchami  
    15: Parinirvana / Nirvana Day  
    24: Lailat al-Bara'ah  
    25: Triodion  
    26-29: Intercalary Days / Ayyam-i-Ha  
    29-March 19: Nineteen Day Fast  

  • March

  • 8:  Maha Shivaratri  
    10-April 9: Ramadan  | If possible, avoid scheduling major academic deadlines
    during this time. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating Ramadan will be fasting during the day (continuously for 30 days) and will likely have less stamina as a result. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations (halal dietary restrictions apply).

    13: L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday  
    15: Hamaspathmaidyem Gahambar  
    17: Saint Patrick's Day  
    18: Clean Monday  
    21: Saint Benedict Day  
    21: Fast of Esther  
    23: Purim  | Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays. However, some sources indicate that Jews should not go about their ordinary business on Purim out of respect for the festival. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations (kosher restrictions apply).
    24: Orthodox Sunday  
    24: Pioneer Day  
    25: Holi
    26: Khordad Sal  
    25-27: Hola Mohalla  

    28: Maundy Thursday  
    29: Good Friday / Good Friday  |  Provide food accommodations: Meat is prohibited during meals for some (fish is not considered meat). Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the date.
    31: Easter  

  • April

  • 6: Lailat as-Qadr / Nuzulul Qur'an  
    6: Laylat al-Qadr  
    9: Eid al-Fitr  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Employees will likely ask to take a vacation day on this day, and that request should be granted if at all possible. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations (halal dietary restrictions apply).
    13: Baisakhi / Vaisakhi  
    20-May 1: First Day of Ridvan  | Those celebrating will likely ask for the day off.
    21: Mahavir Jayanti  
    22-30: Pesach / Passover  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities after sundown on the first days, on the following two full days, and on last two days of the holiday. Provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply; the use of leavening is prohibited so, for example, matzah is eaten in place of bread.)
    23: Hanuman Jayanti  
    23: Saint George's Day  
    24-26: Theravadin New Year  
    28-29: Ninth Day of Ridvan  | Those celebrating will likely ask for the day off.
    30: Maidyozarem Gahanbar  

  • May

  • 1: Beltane  
    1-2: Twelfth Day of Ridvan  | Those celebrating will likely ask for the day off.
    2: National Day of Prayer  
    2: National Day of Reason  
    3: Saint Phillip and James  
    5: Pascha / Easter  
    9: Ascension of Jesus  
    12-13: Yom Hazikaron  
    12-13: Yom Ha'atzmaut  
    19: Pentecost  
    27-28: Ascension of Baha'u'llah  | Those celebrating will likely request the day off.
    22-23: Declaration of the Bab  | Those celebrating will likely ask for the day off.
    23: Visakha Puja / Vesak  | Provide food accommodations and offer vegetarian options when planning menus for events on this date.
    25: Lag Ba'Omer  
    26: Trinity Sunday  
    30: Corpus Christi  

  • June

  • 7: Feast of the Sacred Heart  
    9: St. Columba of Iona  
    10: Martyrdom of Guru Arjan  
    11-13: Shavuot  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Provide food accommodations (kosher restrictions apply‚ although, it is customary to eat dairy).
    15-16: Day of Arafat in Hajj  
    16-17: Eid al-Adha  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations (halal dietary restrictions apply).
    19: Juneteenth
    19: New Church Day  
    24: Litha /  Midsomer / Alban Hefin / Summer Solstice  
    24: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist  
    29: Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul  
    29-July 3: Maidyoshahem Gahanbar  

  • July

  • 7-8: Al-Hijra - New Year  
    9: Martydom of the Bab  | If possible, avoid scheduling major academic deadlines during this time.
    11: Imamat Day  
    15: Saint Vladimir the Great Day  
    16-17: Day of Ashura  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date.
    21: Guru Purnima / Poornima  
    23: Seventeenth of Tammuz  
    23: Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassi  
    25: Saint James the Great Day

  • August

  • 1: Lammas  
    1: Lughnasadh / Imbolc  
    6: Transfiguration of the Lord  
    6: Transfiguration Sunday  
    12-13: Tisha Ba'Av  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines,
    events, or activities on this date and after a day of fasting.

    13-15: Obon  
    15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary  
    15: Dormition of the Theotokis
    15: Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus / Dormition Fast | If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations as stipulated.
    18: The Ghost Festival / Ullambrana  
    19: Raksha Bandhan  
    26: Krishna Janmashtami  | Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that students will be operating on very little sleep.
    29: Beheading of John the Baptist  
    30: Paryushana Parva  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events or activities during the eight days of fasting.

  • September

  • 7: Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi / Vinayaka Chaturthi / Ganeshotsav
    8: Nativity of Mary
    12: Paitishahem Gahanbar  

    15-16: Mawlid al-Nabi  
    22: Mabon  
    22: Alban Elfed / Autumnal Equinox  
    27: Elevation of the Life-Giving Cross, Holy Cross Day  
    27: Meskel  
    30: International Blasphemy Rights Day  

  • October

  • 2: Mehregan
    2-4: Rosh Hashanah  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply).

    3-12: Navratri  
    4: Blessing of the Animals  
    4: Saint Francis Day  
    5: Fast of Gedaliah  
    11-12: Yom Kippur  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date and after a day of fasting. Avoid scheduling activities after 3:00 pm on the first day.
    12: Dasara / Dussehra  
    12: Ayathrem Gahanbar  
    28: Milvian Bridge Day  
    16-17: Twin Holy Days, Birth of the Bab and Baha’u’llah  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Those celebrating will likely request to have these days off.
    16-23: Sukkot  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities after sundown on the first evening and on the following two days. If planning an event, provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply).

    20: First Installation of Guru Granth Sahib in the Golden Temple  
    23-25: Shemini Atzeret  |  Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodations (kosher restrictions apply).
    24-25: Simchat Torah  |  Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply).

    31: All Hallows' Eve / All Saints' Eve / Halloween  
    31: Reformation Day  
    31-November 1: Samhain  

  • November

  • 1: New Year  
    1: Diwali / Deepavali  | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. Those celebrating will likely request the day off.
    1-2: Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos  
    1: All Hallows' Day / All Saints' Day / Hallowmas   
    2: All Souls'Day  
    15: Guru Nanak Gurpurab  
    15-December 24: Nativity Fast  | If planning an event, provide food accommodations as stipulated
    24Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur  
    24: Feast of Christ the King  
    24-25: Day of Covenant  
    26-27: Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha  
    30: Saint Andrew's Day  

  • December

  • 2-24: Advent  
    6: Saint Nicholas Day  
    8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception  
    12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe  
    13: Salgirah  
    16: Posadas Navideñas
    20: Yalda Night / Shab-e Yalda / Shab-e Chelleh  
    24: Christmas  | This is a national holiday in the United States, so special accommodations are likely not required.
    26-January 1, 2025: Kwanzaa  
    25-January 2, 2025: Hanukkah / Chanukah  | Work is permitted, not a work holiday. Provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply‚Äîpotato pancakes, doughnuts or other fried food is customary).
    26: Zartosht No-Diso  
    29: Holy Innocents Day  
    29: Feast of the Holy Family  
    30: Feast of the Holy Family  
    31: Watch Night